


How Can this Be?

by Oakwyrm



Series: What Could Be and What Should Be [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 03:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3712627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oakwyrm/pseuds/Oakwyrm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he exploded, he was sure he would die, but that isn't what happened. With a sickening lurch and a painful tug he broke through the barriers of time and found himself far from where his line usually ended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How Can this Be?

**Author's Note:**

> The story of how exactly Castiel came to know the crew of the Enterprise-D.

Castiel felt one moment of pure _pain_ as his vessel broke into a million pieces. It was worse than when his wings had been broken and burned in the process of raising Dean from perdition. He wanted to scream but it was too quick for him to do anything.

He awoke gasping for air and shuddering from the after affects of exploding. He found himself in a great expanse of white and mist, he recognized it instantly. Limbo. The gateway between Heaven and Hell (or Nirvana, or wherever your beliefs took you, he knew some people who still went to Valhalla when they died). What in the name of his Father was he doing here? Angels weren't supposed to end up anywhere they just... ceased to exist. At least, that had been the common belief.

“You have done well, Castiel,” the voice resonated from all around him and he knew in an instant who it was, though he could see no one.

“Father?” he asked, scrambling to his feet. “Father, where are you? I... I looked for you, we _needed_ you!” he was begging for an answer but felt only a wave of remorse.

“I cannot help you,” his Father said. “But you have lost hope for humanity, and it saddens me,” Castiel frowned, confused.

“I can only go so far into the future, and I see no end to the suffering,” he said and he felt a warmth engulf him. He knew this feeling. He'd felt it last when he was very, very young and his Father was cradling him in His arms. By all rights Castiel shouldn’t even remember that feeling any more, it had only happened once, at the very moment of his birth.

“You deserve a reward for your compassion and your love for De- ehm... humanity...” Castiel crossed his arms and pouted, much like a child, but then, he was being deliberately teased by God so he had a right to feel a little like a moody teenager.

His Father chuckled and it sent a flow of warmth through him he hadn't know he was missing. Castiel relaxed again and smiled despite himself. For the moment all concerns about Sam and Dean had fled his mind as he focused on the fact that he was _here_. His Father was talking to _him_ , comforting him, _noticing_ him.

“There is someone I want you to meet,” God said and out of the mist came a figure dressed in red and black. Castiel frowned at him. He was not of the Earth's domain. None of the figures of any mythology were quite like this being so the only conclusion would be that this beings domain was outside his Father's.

“Hello Castiel, God, rather pompous name if you ask me, and I were having a little chat and he wants me to open a pathway for you to any part of the galaxy you may wish to access, which includes however far into the future you'd like to go,” the being said and Castiel blinked.

“Who are you?” he asked and the being smiled.

“I'm Q! And I think I'll decide your first destination for you,” with that Q reached out a hand and tapped Castiel gently on the back. The affect was instant with a very, very, very painful tug Castiel found himself pulled up to 2150, where he would usually not get any further. He felt the strain of the wall and felt it break. It was like breaking through one glass frame after another after that. Bit and pieces of the time walls digging into his skin as he passed them. He shut his eyes tight and curled into a protective ball as he continued to be hurled forwards.

An angels time travel was unlimited backwards, forwards, however, each and every one of them had a barrier at some point and, as far as Castiel knew, he was the first to break his. Finally he felt himself come to a screeching halt and opened his eyes to find himself standing on Earth, but definitely not the Earth he knew.

He had only a few seconds to look around the Earth of the 24th century before he was tugged away again, this time though, he was pulled into the heavens and far out into space travelling faster than he'd ever had the need to before.

\---------------

On the bridge of the Starship Enterprise Lt. Commander Data was observing the area surrounding the ship and saw, to his surprise, what looked to be a humanoid life form hurtling towards the ship at a surprising speed.

“Captain, there seems to be a humanoid life form headed for the Enterprise,” he reported. The Captain looked up.

“On screen,” he ordered. Data tried to comply only to find the life form was moving too fast.

“Captain, it is moving too fast,” Data announced right before a man seemingly materialized in front of the view screen, a few meters in the air, and toppled onto the floor.

Worf instantly put a wary hand to his fazer but the Captain held up a hand as the man raised himself to his hands and knees shakily and started to cough violently, sending a splatter of blood onto the floor before collapsing.

“Dr. Crusher to the bridge!” the Captain ordered as Riker hurried over and turned to man onto his back.

Dr. Crusher arrived a few seconds later with her medical kit and started to examine the man.

“This is amazing...” she muttered. “Captain, I'm finding signs of internal bleeding but the wounds are closing up at an amazing rate, I don't think I can do anything that would help,” she stood and watched the man for about five seconds before he opened his eyes and sat up slowly wincing a little.

“Where... am I?” he rasped out.

“You are aboard the starship Enterprise,” Captain Picard said and the man looked at them, amazement coming to his rather disturbingly expressive eyes. “Who are you?” the man faltered a bit and heaved himself up, seeming to concentrate a bit.

“I am Castiel,” he said. “I... excuse me but could you tell me what century this is?” he looked extremely disoriented. The Captain looked at Deanna.

“He's relatively harmless, Captain, he's very confused and disoriented and... amazed, I think you surprised him,” she said with a smile, which the Captain took as a sign that it was a good kind of surprise.

“This is the 24th century,” Riker answered and the man called Castiel seemed to finally gather himself together, he looked around the bridge with the curiosity of a child, tilting his head in a bird-like fashion. His eyes first landed on Data and he frowned a little, moving forwards and touching the android's forehead.

“You're... a machine...” he said almost to himself, then his eyes scanned briefly over Dr. Crusher, Riker, Wesley and the Captain, seemingly dismissing them completely. Then his eyes fell on Deanna and widened. He walked quickly over and crouched down in front of her, tilting his head again and squinting at her as if he was trying to solve a puzzle.

“You're... fascinated by me...” Deanna said a little hesitantly and he blinked before nodding slowly.

“You're both inside and outside my Father's realm,” he said softly before touching her hand. “Your... mother isn't human,” he said and Deanna nodded.

“How would you know that?” came Worf's gruff voice and Castiel's head snapped up to look at him and he stumbled backwards a bit before quickly walking up to him.

“You... are outside my prior knowledge...” he said before touching his fingers to Worf's ridged forehead and pulling them back very fast. Worf growled but a signal from Captain Picard made him back down. So far this being seemed only to want to study them, well, those of them that weren't human.

“What did you do?” Worf asked.

“My apologies, I should have asked. I absorbed your stories, your culture's figures of legend,” Castiel said.

“I ask again, who and what are you?” Captain Picard said. Whatever he was, he seemed to be a being of more power than they had originally thought.

“My name is Castiel, I am...” he frowned, seemingly uncertain of how to proceed. “I am from a race that is so firmly woven with humanity we are inseparable, though the majority of you are unaware of our presence. Wherever humanity goes, we will follow,” he continued to look around the bridge before stumbling a bit and falling to the floor. Dr. Crusher was at his side instantly and scanning him using her tricorder. She glanced down at the readings again and frowned.

“You're human,” she said.

“No, I'm not,” Castiel said. He hadn't expected the fatigue of breaking open a universe of possibilities to catch up to him quite so soon. Dr. Crusher looked like she was about to protest when a familiar flash of light signalled the arrival of Q.

“Oh give the man a break,” Q said, opting to hover in the air in front of the Turbo Lift. “He just broke though about 200 years worth of walls in time to get here, and was then hurtled a couple million light years away from everything he's ever known,” Castiel glared at him.

“That, if I recall correctly, is entirely your fault,” he said, sounding very tired.

“What are you doing here Q?” Captain Picard demanded. Q pouted a bit.

“I merely wished to make sure the visitor I sent you wasn't being mistreated,” Q said. Captain Picard frowned.

“Why send him to us?” he asked. Castiel raised his head a bit, interest seemingly peaked. Indeed, why the Enterprise? Q grinned.

“You, Jean-Luc are a prime example of the “goodness of humanity” something the kid's Father wanted me to show him,” Q landed neatly on the floor and clapped his hands. “But now that you've seen this place, certainly you can't want to stay?” Castiel looked around a bit.

“No, I like this place, with the Captains permission, I'll start my exploration here,” he said, looking up at the Captain. Suddenly he was hit by something strong. A feeling he'd never felt before. The man in front of him, this man that had changed, and continued to change, the lives of all he encountered, usually for the better, would not exist without Sam and Dean Winchester stopping the apocalypse. It was dizzying. He vaguely heard the Captain acknowledging his request and giving him permission to stay aboard the Enterprise for as long as he needed before ordering Dr. Crusher to escort him to some place called “sick bay”. Presumably the infirmary.

 


End file.
